Sheila Malcolmson, Nanaimo-Ladysmith MP and federal NDP Party critic for the status of women, wants to tear through the "paper ceiling" when it comes to images featured on Canadian bank notes by including images of prominent Canadian women.
Malcolmson raised the issue on her web page Tuesday.
Other than Queen Elizabeth II, only the Famous Five – Emily Murphy, Irene Marryat Parlby, Nellie Mooney McClung, Louise Crummy McKinney and Henrietta Muir Edwards, who argued for women's right to vote – were featured with an image of a commemorative medal featuring the portrait of Quebec women's suffrage movement leader Thérèse Casgrain, on a $50 note. Those were replaced with an image of the research icebreaker Canadian Coast Guard Ship Amundsen when the note was replaced with redesigned polymer bill in 2011.
Malcolmson has sent a letter to Bill Morneau, finance minister, calling on him to reverse the decision on the bill design and "ensure prominent Canadian women are duly recognized on our polymer banknotes."
"We need diversity, period, and whether that's indigenous or multicultural representatives or representatives of all genders on our bank notes, they've all shaped our history and right now we've got the Queen of England and a whole lot of white men," Malcolmson said.
She said it's good that the contributions of those men are recognized, but removing female historical figures from currency is a step backward.
Malcolmson is not alone in her thinking.
Nearly 65,000 Canadians have signed an online petition, created by Merna Forster of Victoria, B.C., requesting women from Canadian history be honoured on Canada's currency. Suggestions for potential candidates to be stamped on legal tender can be seen on the petition website at http://womenonbanknotes.ca.
"I applaud the citizens' movement from Vancouver Island that has been lobbying for that and I've very proud to stand with them and support that constructive initiative," Malcolmson said.
The Bank of Canada also recognizes Canadians' "appetite for changes in the established conventions regarding bank note design," promising on the section of its website dealing with the process of designing bank notes that it will consult with the public on future designs.
Malcolmson said, given the support expressed in the petition and the Liberal government's commitment to diversity, she's optimistic of an easy win on the issue in Parliament.